Videogame News Thread

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Sega finally finished Hidden Palace Zone and put it in Sonic 2... Then put it on fucking phones.

Cheers Sega, 8 year old me is cursing you through time.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Terminal Reality, developer of the BloodRayne series and Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, is rumored to have recently shut down.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-dallas-based-studio-terminal-reality-has-closed-down

2) CCP studio, developer of EVE Online, announces they have recently laid off around 15 employees mainly from the team developing the MMO World of Darkness project.
http://www.destructoid.com/ccp-laid-off-15-people-working-on-world-of-darkness-mmo-267388.phtml

3) SALES - Amazon is currently having a sale on several Bethesda games while GoG is offering several Fallout games for free as part of their Winter sale launch.
http://www.destructoid.com/deal-north-bethesda-deals-on-amazon-for-cheap-267384.phtml
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/gog-com-holiday-sale-begins-today-get-fallout-fallout-2-fallout-tactics-for-free/

4) Fallout 4 currently rumored to be set in Boston based on supposed leaked documents recently revealed by Kotaku.
http://www.destructoid.com/next-fallout-reportedly-set-in-boston-267346.phtml
http://kotaku.com/leaked-documents-reveal-that-fallout-4-is-real-set-in-1481322956

[Extreme Angle]

Tried Oculus Rift with Razer Hydra today, was absolutely amazing... I picked up a ball and bounced it on the floor and caught it. Then I granny style threw it outside the map.

Walked around outside for abit and stared in awe at the Dandelion flowing in the wind...

Then I felt kinda sick.

The feeling where you suddenly put them on and your legs want to walk but nothing happens is crazy...

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Based on recent patent filings, Sony could be considering making a PS4 version of the Playstation Move controller with a touchpad as one of the possible new features.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/new-controller-patent-sony-looks-revive-motion-control-playstation-move

2) Oculus state they have recently received around $75 million in additional funding for their Oculus Rift project which goes on top of another $18.4 million recently raised from other funding and Kickstarter.
http://www.destructoid.com/oculus-rift-gets-75-million-in-funding-to-move-forward-267458.phtml

3) Results from the recent 38 Studios auction ended up with nobody interested in either the Kingdom of Amalur and Project Copernicus IPs while Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends IPs were sold. Big Huge Game studio's trademarks were sold for around $320,000.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/amalur-fails-to-find-buyer-in-38-studios-auction-rise-of-nations-and-legends-sold/

4) According to Ubisoft, development on Rainbow 6: Patriots is still being rehauled with the strong possibilities of having a new name and being completely different than what was shown previously. The president of Ubisoft's North American branch said the transition to next gen development and problems developing the morality system were the main reasons.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/13/5208040/rainbow-6-patriots-wasnt-working-and-had-to-be-remade
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/rainbow-6-patriots-development-was-rebooted-ubisoft-confirms/

[Blitz]

No one wanted Amalur?:(

[Emperor Smeat]

Probably was way too expensive assuming the state of Rhode Island included some of the studio's debt owed into the asking price.

Wasn't revealed how much both of the Rise IPs generated but between the sale of Big Huge Game and previous auctions, they barely made $2 million from these auctions.

[Purgatory]

No one wanted Amalur?:(

My wife has all of the last ones, so she might have wanted this one too. Ah well.

[Emperor Smeat]

Capcom announces Marvel vs Capcom 2, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and all DLC associated with either game will be delisted next week from PSN and the following week from XBLA.

Dates for delisting:
XBLA - December 26 (global)
PSN - December 17 (North America), December 19 (Europe)

No official reason was given but likely is being done due to licensing issues.

http://www.capcom-unity.com/combofiend/blog/2013/12/13/last-days-for-umvc3-and-mvc2-on-psnxbla-store

[The Destroyer]

Tried Oculus Rift with Razer Hydra today, was absolutely amazing... I picked up a ball and bounced it on the floor and caught it. Then I granny style threw it outside the map.

Walked around outside for abit and stared in awe at the Dandelion flowing in the wind...

Then I felt kinda sick.

The feeling where you suddenly put them on and your legs want to walk but nothing happens is crazy...
I would probably throw up if I used the Rift, I seem to get motion sickness in a bad way. :(

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Microsoft announces the Countdown to 2014 Sale starts tomorrow with each day having a different special deal and the whole sale lasting till December 23rd.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/xbox-game-store-countdown-to-2014-sales-begin-tomorrow-with-borderlands-2/

2) While it is possible to play Destiny by yourself, Bungie stated the game may require playing with groups in order to be able to complete the game's final missions.
http://www.destructoid.com/destiny-may-require-you-to-group-up-for-end-game-missions-267549.phtml

3) Square Enix states the Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD Remaster set will be having a special collector's edition only available on Square Enix's online store.
A hardcover art book contains 40 pages from the world of Spiria as well as the PS3 games. Tucked alongside the games will be the Final Fantasy X HD Remaster soundtrack, with more than six hours of music on one Blu-ray disc. Five lithographs of artwork from the games are also included.
http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-x-x-2-hd-gets-a-collector-s-edition-267557.phtml

[#BROKEN Hasney]

EA have released a 3D remake of UMK3. It's pretty faithful (awful)

Forgot that existed. It was pretty shit.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Nintendo direct tomorrow focusing on Spring 2014. Preparing to have my heart ripped out.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Valve announces they have removed the sign-up process for DOTA 2 and is now available as a free-to-play title for everyone on Steam.
http://www.destructoid.com/dota-2-removes-sign-up-process-and-is-finally-open-to-all-267614.phtml

2) According to Ubisoft, the mega-success of GTA V in terms of sales helped play a large role on why Watchdogs ended up being delayed till Spring 2014.
http://www.destructoid.com/ubisoft-inspired-by-rockstar-to-delay-watch-dogs-267610.phtml

3) Disney announces a new Star Wars game called Star Wars: Attack Squadrons is currently in development with Area 52 Games as the developers, will be a free-to-play title, and has an early 2014 release date.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/disney-interactive-announces-star-wars-attack-squadrons-for-pc/

4) Microsoft states the first batch of indie games for the Xbox One are currently expected to be arriving by March 2014.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/first-idxbox-indie-titles-to-release-q1-2014/

5) EA currently facing some backlash due to hosting an Indie development competition called Code Wars which originally had hidden terms that allowed EA the sole rights to all games and ideas produced and wouldn't have required EA to compensate those teams.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/ea-creates-code-wars-steal-fresh-ideas-competitive-indie-developers

[Kalyx triaD]

EA is off the fucking chain.

[Purgatory]

Anybody see this yet? Looks awesome.

http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/12/17/9-minutes-of-dying-light-gameplay

[Kalyx triaD]

Give a hint what link we're clicking.

[alvarado52]

is Fez honestly worth buying? its discounted today on XBL

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Don't think they ever fixed some save bug on the 360 version because the developer couldn't afford MS's QA fees.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Highlights from today's Nintendo Direct not covered in threads or the Smash thread included Sonic: Lost World getting new Nintendo-related DLC and a new Luigi-based game called Dr. Luigi was revealed.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/reggie-and-regginator-summarize-everything-you-missed-nintendo-direct

2) Ubisoft states they are considering the possibility of expanding the Assassin's Creed release schedule to include multiple games per year in the future.
http://www.examiner.com/article/ubisoft-comments-on-having-multiple-assassin-s-creed-releases-each-year

3) Update to the Skullgirls delisting news as developer Lab Zero state they are currently working on bringing back the game under the new title of Skullgirls Encore within a few weeks after the current game is delisted on December 31st.
http://www.destructoid.com/skullgirls-will-be-reborn-on-the-psn-and-xbla-as-encore--267661.phtml

* 2013 TPWW Gammys Awards still open for voting with the event ending on December 21st. Currently in talks with another gaming website over the possibility of getting free digital download codes and would be willing to give them away to a lucky TPWW poster(s) as incentive for participation. Still waiting on a few details from the website but the available platforms for codes are Steam, PS3, Vita, and iOS.
http://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=125521

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Capcom announces the Operating Broken Eagle DLC pack for Dead Rising 3 has been delayed by a month and will now be released on January 24, 2014.
http://www.destructoid.com/dead-rising-3-operation-broken-eagle-dlc-delayed-267731.phtml

2) Team Ninja reveals once development on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is finished, they will begin development on the next Ninja Gaiden game which will be more similar to past Gaiden games.
http://www.destructoid.com/not-feeling-yaiba-team-ninja-developing-new-ninja-gaiden-267751.phtml

3) According to the general manager at Bioware, Mass Effect 4 has currently reached the stage in development where the game is now in a playable (and testing) form.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/next-mass-effect-game-in-a-playable-state-according-to-bioware-general-manager/

* 2013 TPWW Gammys Awards still open for voting with the event ending on December 21st. Update to the digital games stuff since I got a response with the good news being its possible I could win a game code since they expanded the criteria and amount of games for this year's contest. The bad news is its not possible to win multiple codes and a lot more people who barely contribute during the year entered the contest.
http://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=125521

[ClockShot]

If you're gonna do good news and bad news Smelly, better get Gertner in here to put the stamp on it.

[Purgatory]

Give a hint what link we're clicking.

it was for a Zombie Survival game called Dying Light. The video shown is PS4, but I don't know if it's be on the XBOX One yet. Looks absolutely amazing with some nice free-running elements. It's almost like you spend more time running than fighting.

[Kalyx triaD]

Ah yes, it does look impressive. I fear the scope will be smaller than what people think, but the core gameplay seems interesting and tense.

[Purgatory]

Probably right. I had the same aspirations for Brink and felt like my heart got ripped out when I played it.

Watch Dogs had better stay every bit as awesome as it's looking so far.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) EA currently facing several public and legal issues regarding Battlefield 4 with allegations of EA failing to inform investors beforehand of the halt of all DLC work for the game, possible SEC violations by senior executives who sold their stocks at "artificial" high prices before the DLC announcement, and recent news of DLC packs do not carry over with the Upgrade program (at least confirmed for PS3 to PS4 version).
http://www.screwattack.com/news/ea-coming-under-fire-dlc-and-being-sued-over-battlefield
http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/18/5224848/ea-lawsuit-sec-violations-battlefield-4
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/12/19/report-ps3-to-ps4-battlefield-upgrade-users-out-china-rising-pre_2d00_order-bonus.aspx

2) Namco states they are considering expanding the Dark Souls series to include mobile devices and teased series developer From Software might not develop it due to their lack of experience with mobile development.
http://www.destructoid.com/namco-bandai-seems-to-want-dark-souls-for-mobile-267833.phtml

3) Nordic Games states they are reviving the MX vs ATV series with MX vs. ATV Supercross to be released next year as a downloadable title for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac, and Linux
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/nordic-games-reviving-mx-vs-atv-launching-new-installment-early-2014/

4) Nintendo announces Funky Kong will appear in Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze although did not reveal if he will be a playable character or act as just a shopkeeper in the game like Cranky Kong was in DKC Returns.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/funky-kong-confirmed-for-donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/

* 2013 TPWW Gammys Awards still open for voting with the event ending tomorrow. While the Gammys end tomorrow, the game giveaway at the other place lasts till December 25th so the offer to give away a potential game code as a gift extends to that date if I manage to get one by then.
http://www.tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=125521

[Purgatory]

Dying Light is coming to XBox One. I saw a preorder box for it at Gamestop. The only thing that bugged me was how they had their Preorder stuff mixed in with the New Releases. The woman in front of me in line got pissed when they told her Dying Light hadn't been released yet, even after I mentioned to her that it was Preorder.

I get it that it was probably "Last Minute Shopping" aggravation (Guilty :D), but honestly, she really could have asked rather than just slap the box on the counter and say "Gimme".

[Kalyx triaD]

lol wtf

[Kalyx triaD]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YznkH7OOxj8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Fignuts]

Ah yes, it does look impressive. I fear the scope will be smaller than what people think, but the core gameplay seems interesting and tense.

I dunno, State of Decay was just an arcade game, and it was pretty big in scope.

Would of loved to see what they could do with a full fledged disc game, but Dying Light might be just that.

[Fignuts]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YznkH7OOxj8?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Ninja Storm games are some of the most gorgeous games on current gen. I wasn't able to imagine it looking any prettier, but wow...that trailer.

Looks better than the show. Movie quality animation right there.

[Kalyx triaD]

CyberConnect are wizards.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I dunno, State of Decay was just an arcade game, and it was pretty big in scope.

Would of loved to see what they could do with a full fledged disc game, but Dying Light might be just that.

State of Decay is being massively expanded on PC. Hoping they patch the XBLA version once they're done since they can't keep doing the little content patches like they can on PC.

[Emperor Smeat]

X-Men the Arcade game and Simpsons the Arcade game are both getting delisted with the process already done on PSN while XBLA will still have the games available until at least December 23rd.

http://www.screwattack.com/news/x-men-and-simpsons-arcade-games-get-delisted-psn

[Fignuts]

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and all its DLC is 66% off. Great game. Reccomend it for any 2-D Castlevania fan.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) According to Ubisoft, the engine being used for Watch Dogs was originally meant to be used in a new Driver game that ended up being cancelled.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/watch-dogs-born-canceled-driving-game-ubisoft-reveals

2) Valve has recently approved the ability for publishers to restrict cross-region game gifting and trading on Steam with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance found to be one of the initial games to contain this feature.
http://www.destructoid.com/publishers-can-disable-cross-region-gifting-on-steam-267963.phtml

[Poit]

2) Valve has recently approved the ability for publishers to restrict cross-region game gifting and trading on Steam with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance found to be one of the initial games to contain this feature.
http://www.destructoid.com/publishers-can-disable-cross-region-gifting-on-steam-267963.phtml

While I understand doing this, I wish it had been implemented differently - perhaps allowing you to buy a game for a specific region, and only allowing it to be gifted to people in that region. I dunno.

[VSG]

State of Decay is being massively expanded on PC. Hoping they patch the XBLA version once they're done since they can't keep doing the little content patches like they can on PC.

Still pretty shitty in that if you don't keep playing it, you can die as can everyone else around you. Do they expect us to game all the time? :roll:

[Fignuts]

Pretty sure they patched that.

You still lose supplies and stuff, but people dying rarely ever happens.

Even then, I agree that it's an unnecessary feature, but it doesn't break the game.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Warner Bros stated a big Batman-related announcement will be made on December 31st.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/warner-bros-make-big-batman-related-announcement-new-year%E2%80%99s-eve

2) Sony announces the online multiplayer portion of several first party PS3 games will be ending next year.
The servers for the Resistance trilogy will be shut down on March 28, 2014, while Gran Turismo 5’s online functionality will be ended on May 20, 2014. The severs for MAG, SOCOM: Special Forces, and SOCOM: Confrontation will be the first to go however, as they will be offline come January 28.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sony-dropping-online-support-gran-turismo-5-and-resistance-trilogy-2014

[ClockShot]

Bummer. Resistance was a darn good game.

[Mercenary]

X-Men the Arcade game and Simpsons the Arcade game are both getting delisted with the process already done on PSN while XBLA will still have the games available until at least December 23rd.

http://www.screwattack.com/news/x-men-and-simpsons-arcade-games-get-delisted-psn


Glad I got them when I did

[Purgatory]

Sleeping Dogs is free on XBL's Free With Gold.

[Emperor Smeat]

More Marvel games have been delisted and removed from digital services with this time Activision published games being affected.

Deadpool, a game that released on June 25, 2013, is no longer available for purchase on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, or Steam -- and it's not alone.

Other games presumably impacted by a licensing agreement with Marvel coming to a close include Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, X-Men: The Official Game, X-Men Destiny, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Game Informer has confirmed this list with Activision.

http://www.destructoid.com/some-marvel-games-have-vanished-from-steam-psn-xbl-268301.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

Damn, Deadpool had a very short window.

[Poit]

Yeah, wasn't it part of the Steam sale a few days ago?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Yup, I looked at it and thought that Activision games don't usually go that low in price no matter the quality. Guess I understand why now.

[Emperor Smeat]

It getting pulled mysteriously from one of the community vote polls triggered people looking into what happened and the later discovery of other Marvel games getting pulled.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I've just bought a Steam redeemable CD key of Deadpool. Wheelman goes for about $50 right now, so I might hold onto this instead of playing it.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Final Fantasy X-2 had it's ending changed in the re-release to make a possibility for FFX-3. They didn't even bother to make a new scene for it, it's just audio with a picture on the screen.

- Most of this bonus audio are told by 2 characters: Chuami and Kurugum. They are sent to Besaid Island by Baralai to search for Yuna.

- Tidus isn't together with Yuna anymore, but of course, the real reason isn't explained. At the beggining of the drama, when Chuami, one of the protagonists asks Yuna about Tidus being her boyfriend, she still confirms, but at another point (although
I'm sure it's a lie) when the 2 protagonists are spying a convo between them, she is jealous about some Tidus' friend (Marufi - a friend according to him). Then, she tells him she doesn't care anymore and apparently got another person she likes. Weird enough, he just ask: Who?, which she replies "Someone you don't know."

- Later though, Tidus asks Lulu if she know about who could be Yuna's new love. Lulu gets pretty disappointed and says she thought Tidus would know Yuna a little bit more. She then tells Tidus to figure it himself.

- The weird part about this is when Kurugum, the other protagonists, tells Chuami that he likes Yuna and they should separate from each other. (Like they are trying to induce people to believe he is Yuna's new love, but I doubt it could be, as he has a voice of a 14 years old kid).

- Tidus is still a Blitzball star, but when Chuami handshake him, she notices he's pretty injured and with no energy at all, although he is trying to hide it. Later, when she meets him again, hiding from someone in Bevelle, she also notices he's injured. This may be related to why he and Yuna aren't together anymore.

- Apparently, Yuna woke up from her "bad dream" (aka her FFX-2 version) and is talking like her FFX self again. Rikku and Paine aren't mentioned in this bonus audio.

- Sin is back, although it's not explained why and how it's back. It's told, however, that it was activated by something (note that they use the word Summoned anymore).

- One of the protagonists (Chuami) of this bonus audio drama claims to be Auron's daughter, although this is confronted by Lulu when she mentions about it. Lulu even saus she doesn't look like Auron like Yuna looked like Braska and Tidus looked like Jecht.

- When she asks Lulu if her mother is a liar, she tells her that she wouldn't go so far, but if Auron was really her father, he would definitively make sure she would know, because that's how Auron was.

- In the end of the bonus audio, Yuna's famous words from FFX about defeating Sin are back, with the crowd cheering. You know what that means, right?

There's also been an official novel been released which seems to tie into the same story but with more detail and it just sounds hilarious. It's supposed to be canon and if it is, I will watch FFX-3 on YouTube because it will be hilarious.

This is a glorious trainwreck. I think I found some scans of the novel pages. Tidus' uh...unfortunate fate 2 days after being revived by Yuna?

The reviewer's weren't kidding about the gore. Tidus sees a ball roughly the size of a blitz ball, and comes to the conclusion that that's what it exactly is. So he proceeds to run and kick it... explodes. It was a bomb. Yuna gets thrown back by the explosion.... along with Tidus' head which promptly lands by Yuna with his expression frozen with surprise. She promptly passes out.

Yuna resurrects him using pyreflies, however it seems that if Tidus realizes what he is, he'll disappear (whether that means off to the Farplane, or from existence I'm not sure). It seems overall this explaination wasn't explained too well so it could be off the mark. This could explain though why she's seeming cold towards him in the audio drama.

I kinda want X-3 now just to see how far Square will go in their insanity.

A lot of the Japanese readers seem more upset that it was such an opposite tone to what the perfect ending in X-2 was, and the aformentioned gore and sexuality present.

There's a lot of comments about how much they feel bad for Tidus, and that Yuna acts really cold towards him. There's a few saying they hate Yuna in the novel. There's apparently a lot of sexual stuff in it. There's a scan of one page in which Tidus tells Yuna if they get into battle he might lose his fighting spirit because he's distracted by how sexy she is. And apparently Tidus gets his head blown off by a bomb and dies (and only 2 days after getting resurrected), but he comes back to life again because he's made of Pyreflies, and Yuna has control over him.

[Emperor Smeat]

Tekken's director Katsuhiro Harada stated in a recent interview with 4Gamer that he's currently working on two projects with the possibility of neither being Tekken related games.

"there are a few titles that we’ve been quietly working on, and some we’ve been thinking about working on, so the year 2014 looks like it’ll be a tough one."

He also states, "From there, I’d like to announce at least two of those titles in 2014, and I feel that it’s something I must do."
http://www.destructoid.com/we-may-see-two-new-games-in-2014-from-tekken-director-268290.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

TxSF dammit.

[Fignuts]

I think the SFxT release debacle killed any hope of that.

I'm more upset that there will probably never be a SFxT 2. Love the tekken characters. Best hope is that their movesets get put on made up original characters in a future capcom fighter, but the chances of even that are slim.

[Kalyx triaD]

I don't see why SFxT's 'issues' would disrupt a totally different game.

[Fignuts]

The games are connected in a lot of people's minds, even if it's different developers. It''s just a marketing thing.

Game still might happen, but if you think the delays have absolutely nothing to do with the backlash from sfxt, you're crazy.

[Kalyx triaD]

The backlash was game specific; TxSF won't have gems or Pandora.

You may well be right, but that just makes me pissed at gamers somemore.

[Fignuts]

It's more of a corporate marketing mentality than gamers. I'd bet a lot of the people bitching would have bought txsf anyway.

[Kalyx triaD]

I wonder if Namco are so spineless.

[Extreme Angle]

Our studio released our first game today :)

http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/ram/a68b086a-5f11-434c-bb7e-77429c9e5e84

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1471940_1416529428581840_892938803_n.png

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1486758_1423825697852213_436178671_n.jpg

[Emperor Smeat]

Several online networks and digital providers have been recently attacked by hackers with the biggest being from a group called DERP.

The attacks appeared to have started with League of Legends and recently spread to include Battle.net, Steam, and Origin. These attacks have also targeted individual gaming streamers with at least one known instance so far.

Right now Steam is reportedly experiencing a DDoS attack, but their woes are one of many across the online gaming industry. Yesterday, EA’s Origin service found itself in a very similar situation and over the break; services like Battle.NET and the League of Legends servers were taken down. A hacker collective known as DERP is claiming these actions, along with some other rogue agents, all in an attempt to fuck with a single-gamer named Phantomlord.

An online group or person going by the name DERP claims to have launched a DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack on EA’s login servers, which took its Origin service offline for several hours earlier this morning.

During the outage players were unable to access several EA games on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, mobile, and PC, including Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, The Simpsons Tapped Out, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The attack began at around 7 p.m. PST last night, with DERP claiming to have aimed the “Gaben Laser Beam” at the EA login servers on Twitter. DERP also attacked several other games and services earlier this week, including Dota 2, League of Legends, and Battle.net. “We’ve directed the Gaben Laser Beam™ @ the EA login servers. Origin,” the group/person wrote.

http://www.screwattack.com/news/steam-origin-and-many-online-games-are-being-hit-ddos-attacks
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/eas-origin-login-servers-hit-by-ddos-attack/

[Kris P Lettus]

dunno if this has been posted but

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RRpDn5qPp3s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

looks tight

[RoXer]

I'm pretty sure it was. Somewhere.

It looks very ambitious and if it delivers on most of what it promises then it should be pretty great. Their studio/office space flooded though and their insurance didn't cover it. I'm not if that will set them back but I'm assuming it will at least a little bit.

[Extreme Angle]

Got onto the front page of IndieDB!... Well it's something I guess!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/933974_1429703700597746_844443505_n.jpg

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Ultra Street Fighter IV’s final unrevealed fighter is currently rumored to be from the Street Fighter series comics.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/ultra-street-fighter-iv%E2%80%99s-mystery-fighter-woman-and-allegedly-linked-street-fighter-comics
http://www.siliconera.com/2014/01/03/ultra-street-fighter-ivs-fifth-character-tied-street-fighter-comics/

2) According to reports, Square Enix Montreal has cancelled development on a next-gen Hitman project in favor of focusing more towards the development of a mobile game for the series.
http://www.destructoid.com/square-enix-montreal-s-hitman-reportedly-canned-268497.phtml

3) Clint Hocking announces he has recently left Valve with his final project at the studio being Left 4 Dead 3. Besides working on Left 4 Dead 3, he also worked on Far Cry 2, Splinter Cell, and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory during his time at Ubisoft.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-06-clint-hocking-leaves-valve
http://www.destructoid.com/original-splinter-cell-game-director-leaves-valve-268490.phtml

4) Hideo Kojima states the overall map size and scope for MGS V: Phantom Pain will end up being several hundred times larger than in Ground Zeroes.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/kojima-says-phantom-pains-map-several-hundred-times-larger-ground-zeroes

[Kalyx triaD]

The last USF4 character is one of Bison's dolls. A black chick who used to work with Cammy during the Alpha days.

[Blitz]

The last USF4 character is one of Bison's dolls. A black chick who used to work with Cammy during the Alpha days.
Are you basing this on anything, or just putting out some random hopeful supposition?

Stupid if accurate. Fans clamoring for all these other fighters, and Capcom's like "Hey let's put this broad in who was in the background of one cutscene of Alpha 3".

[Fignuts]

It's a female, never been in a fighter, and she's in the comics.

He may not have anything official, but I can't think of anyone else it could be.

Just hope that she has completely new, unique fighting style, and isn't just a Cammy remix.

[Fignuts]

And Capcom's recent track record for giving it's fans what they want, hasn't been very good as of late.

[Kalyx triaD]

I trust she will have the Doll uniform and gauntlets, but should have her own move-set. If she apes anything from Cammy at the very least it may be a few normals. I'd only imagine her being a gameplay clone of Cammy because of the time allotted to ship USF4. Now if they started on her early enough, and who's to say she wasn't a past scrapped design; she could have her own complete moveset.

But it's pretty fucking likely to be a Doll, and specifically the black one. Lots of different sources saying the same shit. The only other candidates are simply some other Doll, or Sakura's classmate - which would be such high trolling I could almost see that happening.

[Fignuts]

Wasn't Sakura's classmate in Rival Schools though?

[Kalyx triaD]

You may be thinking Hinata (also my secondary in that game).

And technically yeah her team were her classmates in that game, but she has a best friend that's appeared in her win poses in the Alpha games and was prominently featured during her solo comics by UDON. If Capcom wanted to troll, she's the safe bet - fitting every qualification to a T.

[Kalyx triaD]

In fact I'm now scared this is the case.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) A judge has ruled against Nintendo in their on-going court case involving the 3D camera tech used in the 3DS with the company required to pay $15 million and an additional $3 per 3DS sold from now on to Tomita Technologies. Nintendo is currently appealing the decision.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/nintendo-loses-another-lawsuit-forced-pay-share-sales-every-3ds-sold

2) Sega has officially confirmed Alien: Isolation is the next game in the Aliens series and is being developed by Creative Assembly. A few details include the game focusing on survival horror, Amanda Ripley is the main character for the game, and is inspired by the original Alien film in the sense there is only one Alien wrecking havoc in the space station.
http://www.destructoid.com/alien-isolation-is-the-new-game-in-the-alien-franchise-268392.phtml
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/ok-alien-isolation-looks-terrifying/2300-8345/

3) Another founder of a studio owned by EA has left with the co-founders of Chillingo studio, publisher of Angry Birds, announcing they have recently left the company.
http://www.destructoid.com/chillingo-founders-have-left-ea-268516.phtml
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/chillingo-founders-leave-ea/

[Kalyx triaD]

That Alien game looks great. Very good call using Slenderman's gameplay.

[Fignuts]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/H_mToxWxWL4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

fucking siiiiiiiiick

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Respawn Entertainment states Titanfall's multiplayer will support up to 12 human players per match with teams being limited to 6 people. Matches do support more than 12 players but those spots are reserved for the AI/CPU players.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/titanfall-multiplayer-will-be-capped-12-human-players-6v6-mayhem

2) Update to next-gen Hitman being canceled as Square Enix states the project itself wasn't actually cancelled although they did confirm their Montreal studio has been pulled from the project in favor of IO Interactive and the series will follow a "Call of Duty" studio rotational system.
http://www.destructoid.com/square-tells-us-exactly-what-s-happening-with-hitman-268591.phtml

3) Rhianna Pratchett, writer of Mirror's Edge, announces she will not be involved with the writing and development of Mirror's Edge 2 nor did DICE contact her with an opportunity to work on the sequel.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/mirrors-edge-writer-rhianna-pratchett-not-working-on-mirrors-edge-reboot/

4) Besides working on more Oculus Rift tech, Oculus VR announces they will also be developing games for the headset with John Carmack placed in charge of game development for Oculus.
http://www.destructoid.com/oculus-vr-will-be-developing-games-in-addition-to-tech-268645.phtml

[Fignuts]

Had no idea this was going on at fighting game tourneys.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/94PAZH9uvfo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Props to that shinsyn dude for taking a stand.

[Kalyx triaD]

Pot splitting seems to ire people, which I don't see an issue with.

What really gets me is if you have a deal where you're gonna split the pot anyway, and you manage to make finals with your bud/bro, then don't be stupid enough as to throw the match by picking your secondaries all of a sudden with an audience of hundreds sometimes thousands watching. Just play the match straight up.

Idiots.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Barring the case going to the US Supreme Court, the on-going legal saga between Epic Games and Silicon Knights is expected to be finally over after an Appeals Court has upheld previous court decisions against Silicon Knights.
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/why-silicon-knights-vs-epic-games-is-probably-over/1100-4839/

2) Nintendo announces they have recently purchased all of IA Labs patents as part of the repayment owed by IA Labs from their failed court cases against Nintendo and have made Next Level Games, developer of Luigi's Mansion 2, an official 2nd party studio for the company.
http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-obtains-ia-labs-patents-in-sheriff-s-sale-268710.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/next-level-games-to-work-exclusively-with-nintendo-268696.phtml

3) Twitch states they are currently unsure when their streaming services will arrive for the Xbox One but still expects an announcement to be made later this year.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/no-eta-for-twitch-direct-broadcasting-on-xbox-one/

4) Halo 4's senior art director, Kenneth Scott, announces he stepped down from his role at 343 Industries and will now become a consultant for the studio in order to spend more time with his family.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/halo-4-art-director-steps-down-will-continue-to-serve-as-visual-design-consultant/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) 2K's Czech branch announces their Prague studio has been shut down and will be moving development of the next Mafia game to one of 2K's US-based studios.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/2k-czech-closes-prague-office-and-may-be-bringing-mafia-3-development-us

2) Microsoft states the Xbox One closed beta for Project Spark will start next month with people who have Windows 8 beta keys being automatically eligible for the Xbox One beta.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/project-spark-beta-begins-on-xbox-one-next-month/

3) Joseph Staten, former writer for the Halo series and Destiny, reveals he has recently been hired as Microsoft Studio's new senior creative director.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/halo-destiny-writer-joe-staten-joins-microsoft-studios-as-senior-creative-director/
http://www.destructoid.com/ex-destiny-writer-joe-staten-returns-to-microsoft-268741.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Sony has released the list of all PS3 and PS Vita games available for the upcoming 14 for '14 sale starting tomorrow on PSN.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/preview-sonys-14-14-sale

2) Some SimCity related news as Maxis recently revealed the restrictions for modding once the tools become available with the biggest involving EA having sole rights to anything created and the next update patch will include the ability to play the game in offline mode.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/maxis-encourages-modding-simcity-promptly-sets-house-rules
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/simcity-will-finally-get-an-offline-mode-in-next-u/1100-4841/

3) Double Fine announces Part One of Broken Age will be released on January 14 to the backers of the Kickstrater fund and then later in the month for everyone else.
http://www.destructoid.com/broken-age-part-one-releasing-for-backers-this-week-268798.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Telltale Games announces the second episode of The Wolf Among Us will be released during the first week of February.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/the-wolf-among-us-episode-2-will-arrive-the-first-week-of-february/

2) According to Maxis, it has taken them around 6 months in order to rework SimCity to be playable in an offline mode with one of the biggest reasons for the long gap being how the game saved and loaded data for players.
http://www.destructoid.com/it-took-maxis-six-months-to-rework-simcity-for-offline-268960.phtml

3) The CEO of Oculus VR states publishers have full control over pricing for games on the Oculus Rift and hinted there is a possibility this could lead to Rift games being more expensive than on consoles.
http://www.destructoid.com/oculus-rift-games-could-be-more-expensive-says-ceo-268904.phtml
http://www.screwattack.com/news/prices-oculus-vr-games-will-be-developers

4) EA has lost another high-level management person with this time EA's senior VP for corporate communications, Jeff Brown, announcing he has left the company to join camera manufacture GoPro.
http://www.destructoid.com/another-one-bites-the-dust-ea-vp-jeff-brown-departs-268915.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) MLB announces they are reviving the RBI Baseball franchise with RBI Baseball '14 to arrive this Spring for both current and next gen consoles and devices. The decision was due to both Take Two not renewing the MLB license and to ensure non-Playstation platforms would get a baseball game this year.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rbi-baseball-return-video-games-thanks-mlb-advanced-media
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/major-league-baseball-takes-matters-into-its-own-h/1100-4843/

2) Valve states Steam has managed to increase by around 10 million active users since last October bringing the total active userbase of Steam to around 75 million users.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/steam-user-count-increased-from-65-million-to-75-million-since-october-2013/

3) The Left Behind DLC pack for The Last of Us is set to be released on February 14 based on recently revealed promotional ads. The DLC pack will cost $14.99, a download code for "American Dreams Issue #1", and an Ellie Dynamic Theme.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/the-last-of-us-left-behind-release-date-leaked/

4) This month's Club Nintendo game rewards were revealed to be Game & Watch: Cement Factory (3DS), Spin Six (3DS), F-Zero (Wii U VC), and 1080 Snowboarding (Wii VC).
http://www.destructoid.com/club-nintendo-switches-game-rewards-adds-f-zero-269000.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) A Nintendo-related press event is rumored to be occurring later this month.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-there-nintendo-press-event-end-january

2) Valve states the Steam controller has been rehauled with the current version dropping biometrics and touchscreen features, now supports a traditional d-pad and ABXY buttons, and uses AA batteries. Valve did state several features that were removed could end up being included in future revisions of the controller.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/16/about-face-buttons-steam-controller-overhauled/

3) According to IO Interactive, the next game in the Hitman series is currently planned to feature the largest levels in series history and in terms of storyline, takes place during the prime of Agent 47's career.
http://www.destructoid.com/new-hitman-will-have-the-largest-levels-yet-269085.phtml

4) The co--founder and VP of Product Development of Ouya, Muffi Ghadiali, announces he has recently left the company.
http://www.destructoid.com/ouya-co-founder-leaves-company-269055.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) According to the latest financial report from Nintendo, the company has cut sales expectations for the Wii U by around 70% along with expectations of this fiscal year to end in an overall loss of around $250- $335 million. As a result, Nintendo stated they are considering revamping their business structure with rumors of possible mobile development included in those plans.
http://www.geek.com/games/nintendo-cuts-wii-u-sales-forecast-from-9-million-to-just-2-8-million-1582450/
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/nintendo-considering-new-business-structure/1100-4846/

2) Sony states DriveClub has been delayed again with the game now expected to miss out on the PS4 launch in Japan and likely be moved out of the early 2014 release window for North America and Europe.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/driveclub-has-been-delayed-past-february-22nd-japan-still-coming

[Emperor Smeat]

Star Wars 1313 is unlikely to ever get made after Disney has recently abandoned the trademark.

According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office, on December 23, Disney chose to abandon the game’s trademark, letting it expire rather than filing for a renewal. So this should kill just about any doubts about the game being gone for good.

Star Wars 1313 will officially remain dead.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/disney-makes-star-wars-1313-trademark-disappear

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Update to Nintendo's financial report woes as the company states the Mario series is unlikely to be part of any possible mobile development plans while their stock prices have fallen by around 18% since the announcement.
http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-won-t-put-mario-on-smartphones-due-to-losses-269260.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-shares-fall-following-operating-loss-warnings-269252.phtml

2) CD Projekt announces Namco Bandai will act as the publisher for The Witcher 3 for Australia and New Zealand.
http://www.destructoid.com/namco-bandai-to-publish-the-witcher-3-in-australia-269217.phtml

3) Harmoinx is currently rumored to have cancelled all development towards an unannounced Kinect game for the Xbox One.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-harmonix-had-mystery-xbox-one-project-canceled

[VSG]

Star Wars 1313 is unlikely to ever get made after Disney has recently abandoned the trademark.


http://www.screwattack.com/news/disney-makes-star-wars-1313-trademark-disappear

:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(:'(

[alvarado52]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R24CUMBBTbU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Warnings - For those who own a PS4, Sony states they are currently investigating a recently discovered error bug which causes save files to become corrupted. The bug was discovered to affect a variety of PS4 games and also has the potential of causing the system itself to become bricked.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/psa-hundreds-ps4-users-are-losing-their-saves-ce-34878-0-error-code

2) According to a report by Ars Technica, Microsoft could be in trouble with the FTC soon due to both secret deals and its terms made with several Youtube channels and partners regarding Xbox One advertisements on Youtube. EA was also discovered doing similar deals with Youtube as well.
http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-secretly-pays-youtubers-to-advertise-xbox-one-269274.phtml
http://www.incgamers.com/2014/01/ea-microsoft-caught-engaging-covert-youtube-payola

3) Alienware states their Steam Machine will not be upgradable and instead will have a new model released every year.
http://www.destructoid.com/alienware-steam-machines-won-t-be-upgradable-269317.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Update to recent DriveClub news as the game is currently rumored to be getting a June 2014 release date for Europe according to Official Playstation Magazine Italy.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-driveclub-launch-europe-june-according-opm-italy

2) Tim Schafer states if given the chance or approval, he would like to work on a sequel to Brutal Legend and it wouldn't contain any RTS-like gameplay features.
http://www.destructoid.com/tim-schafer-muses-on-return-to-the-world-of-brutal-legend-269358.phtml
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/tim-schafer-says-hed-love-to-make-a-brutal-legend-2/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Tecmo states Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has been delayed by about 2 weeks with the new release date scheduled for March 18, 2014.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/tecmo-koeis-yaiba-ninja-gaiden-z-has-been-delayed-two-weeks

2) According to the CEO of Capcom, the revamped plans for the company's near future includes a stronger emphasis towards online/social features, mobile development, and DLC development.
http://www.destructoid.com/capcom-ceo-talks-five-year-plan-hiring-100-devs-per-year-269427.phtml

3) King studio, developer of Candy Crush Saga, currently is facing backlash after it was revealed the company managed to successful trademark the word "Candy" and admitted their attempts to trademark and go after anyone using the word "Saga" is just a bullying tactic.
http://www.destructoid.com/candy-crush-dev-now-trying-to-block-banner-saga-trademark-269383.phtml

[ClockShot]

Trailer for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Shows the characters and who's got voice acting duties for them. Plus a little bit of gameplay. Just looks too freakin' good.

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[Disturbed316]

Loved the first one, will definitely be getting this one.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Namco Bandai announces they will be officially changing their name to Bandai Namco starting on April 1st.
http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=221089

2) The Japan-only PS Vita Slim is rumored to be getting a worldwide release as part of an upcoming announcement by Sony next week.
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-hints-at-slim-announcement-for-next-week-269476.phtml

3) Update to developer King's recent trademark controversies as an indie developer has claimed King's Pac-Avoid infringed on a game he created called Scamperghost. He stated this occurred due to King.com not becoming the publisher for the browser-based game after another publisher offered a better deal.
http://www.destructoid.com/indie-developer-claims-king-cloned-its-game-269469.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Microsoft reveals they have recently purchased the Gears of War series from Epic Games with Black Tusk Studios to become the new developer for the series.
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/microsoft-opens-wallet-buys-gears-of-war-franchise/1100-4850/

2) Valve announces Steam will now allows users to cancel and refund pre-orders on their own although all refunds will only be deposited into the user's Steam Wallet and not the original source of the funds if it was from somewhere else.
http://www.destructoid.com/steam-now-offers-self-refunds-on-pre-ordered-games-269512.phtml
http://www.screwattack.com/news/steam-now-allowing-users-cancel-their-pre-orders-manually

3) Epic Games states the first games using their brand new Unreal 4 Engine is currently expected to be arriving by late 2014 to early 2015.
http://www.destructoid.com/epic-unreal-engine-4-games-aiming-for-christmas-q1-2015-269570.phtml

4) Capcom states Japan-only Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for the 3DS will be getting a worldwide release around early 2015.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/monster-hunter-4-ultimate-launching-on-3ds-early-2015/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Sucker Punch studio states Infamous: Second Son will not feature multiplayer modes, decisions made during the story can end up locking out parts of the game completely, and only one element can be used at a time.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sucker-punch-reveals-infamous-second-son-wont-lack-visuals-will-multiplayer

2) ZeniMax Online Studios states The Elder Scrolls Online will not require a PS+ subscription in order to play the game online while no mention was made regarding the Xbox One version. The game will still require its own subscription in order to be playable on both the PS4 and Xbox One though.
http://www.destructoid.com/the-elder-scrolls-online-won-t-require-a-ps-subscription-269636.phtml

3) EA's recent report for the fiscal third quarter revealed the company saw very little growth in digital sales, around a $200 million drop in retail sales, and around a $114 million drop in overall revenue compared to the previous fiscal third quarter.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/01/28/ea-performs-below-expectations-in-third-quarter-2014-lowers-guidance.aspx

[alvarado52]

So what ever happened to all that 'cloud computing' crap MS was talking about? Wasnt that supposed to somehow allow devs to match (or exceed in theory) what they could do on the PS4?

[Kalyx triaD]

Cloud computing can pick up software weight in terms of AI, which is what Titanfall is doing. I don't know if it can actually help boost graphical power or a game's overall performance (framerate, controls) - which I assume rests squarely on the devs initial shipped product without any cloud help. The cloud couldn't do anything to help Battlefield 4's issues, for instance.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Sony is currently rumored to be working on a firmware update for the PS4 to allow digital PS1 and PS2 games to be playable although neither will be included in the upcoming Playstation Now service. Sony is also rumored to be remastering the visuals of these games to be native HD instead of just simply upscaling them.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2014-ps1-ps2-games-heading-to-ps4
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-sony-implement-ps1-and-ps2-emulator-playstation-4

2) Microsoft states the next game in the Gears of War series is currently in development.
http://www.destructoid.com/new-gears-of-war-is-just-a-week-into-development-269709.phtml

3) Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata stated as a result of the recent poor financial news from the company, he will be personally cutting his salary by around 50% for the next 5 months with other high level executives getting a 20%-30% cut.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/nintendo-president-satoru-iwata-to-take-50-percent-pay-cut-due-to-poor-wii-u-sales/

[Kalyx triaD]

Nintendo's executives are unreasonably honorable.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Any Nintendo execs ever Harry Carry themselves?

[Kalyx triaD]

That may come soon.

[Kris P Lettus]

http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/duke-nukem-3d-gaining-online-multiplayer/2300-8423/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Nintendo-related news with DS games to be added in the near future for the Wii U's Virtual Console, they will be developing apps for mobile devices, and the Nintendo Network ID to eventually become a unified service no longer tied to hardware and will span over multiple devices (both current and future). The upcoming Summer firmware update was revealed to be cutting loading times by around 50% compared to now.
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/nintendo-outlines-company-s-new-strategy/1100-4854/
http://www.screwattack.com/news/nintendo-confirms-they-are-developing-apps-mobile-devices
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/29/nintendo-envisions-on-demand-service-tied-to-ids-across-hardware/
http://www.destructoid.com/here-s-what-to-expect-from-the-wii-u-s-quick-start-menu-269769.phtml

2) Freebies - For those with a 3DS or 2DS, Nintendo is currently giving away for free The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Anniversary on the eShop with the offer to last until February 2nd.
http://www.destructoid.com/psa-zelda-four-swords-anniversary-is-back-on-the-eshop-269782.phtml

3) Some Sony-related news as the company has revealed the freebies available for Playstation Plus members for February and the PS Vita Slim will be releasing in the UK and Europe next week at the price of £180 ($296).
http://www.destructoid.com/the-newest-batch-of-playstation-plus-freebies-is-amazing-269751.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/ps-vita-slim-launches-in-the-uk-next-week-269767.phtml
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sony-announces-vita-slim-uk-along-killer-indie-bundle

[alvarado52]

Just found out who the model was for Liara in Mass Effect...how am I supposed to say no during this play through!?

http://images.beautyriot.com/photos/jillian-murray-long-tousled-wavy-brunette-hairstyle.jpg

[Fignuts]

Stoked for DS games coming to the VC.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Warner Bros and Nintendo states due to the lack of future DLC content for the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham Origins, they are currently issuing full refunds to anyone who bought the Season Pass for the game.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/warner-bros-interactive-entertainment-puts-last-batman-arkham-origins-dlc-ice-wii-u

2) According to Natsume community manager, Nintendo is currently in the process of updating the Virtual Console to include GBA, GBC, and DS games with companies being asked to supply games.
http://www.destructoid.com/natsume-confirms-that-nintendo-is-working-on-gba-vc-269811.phtml

3) Dontnod studio, developer of Remember Me, denies recent rumors of the studio filing for bankruptcy although they are currently in the process of restructuring the company.
http://www.destructoid.com/developer-of-remember-me-denies-bankruptcy-claims-269815.phtml

[VSG]

South Park is finally out for pre-order. It will be killed on PC sales though- no preorder discount and a price of $60 is pretty much death on Steam.

[Kalyx triaD]

Today's News:
1) Warner Bros and Nintendo states due to the lack of future DLC content for the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham Origins, they are currently issuing full refunds to anyone who bought the Season Pass for the game.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/warner-bros-interactive-entertainment-puts-last-batman-arkham-origins-dlc-ice-wii-u

Wait... they canceled the DLC because "lack of interest". But they're giving money back to people who were interested? Or did the Season Pass itself not sell well?

Whatever.

[alvarado52]

Gonna assume the season pass sold like piss.

[Droford]

Just like Wii U's

[Emperor Smeat]

Wait... they canceled the DLC because "lack of interest". But they're giving money back to people who were interested? Or did the Season Pass itself not sell well?

Whatever.

Probably a combo of things with Warner Bros being slow to confirm anything for the Wii U version besides no multiplayer, DLC packs not selling well, and what alvarado52 said about the sales for the Pass itself being very low.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Nintendo-related news as the company is currently considering as part of its business overhaul the possibility of purchasing more studios and even the idea of a merger with another company if needed. Also confirmed their handheld and console divisions have now been integrated into a single division within the company.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/iwata-says-nintendo-executives-are-considering-mergers-and-acquisitions-option
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/02/03/nintendo-s-handheld-and-home-console-divisions-now-integrated.aspx

2) According to several reports, development for the next Need For Speed game has been halted due to sizable layoffs recently occurring at Ghost Games by the studio and EA.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/report-development-on-next-need-for-speed-suspended-as-layoffs-hit-ghost-games-uk/

3) Microsoft states details regarding the Games for Gold program on the Xbox One are expected to be revealed "fairly soon."
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/details-of-games-with-gold-for-xbox-one-coming-fairly-soon/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Disney Interactive is currently rumored to be restructuring soon with "several hundreds" expected to be laid off due to Disney Infinity being unable to meet its high sales expectations. Star Wars and Marvel based expansion packs were also rumored to be currently in development for Disney Infinity.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-disney-intertactive-facing-hundreds-layoffs-inspite-infinitys-rumored-star-wars-and-marve
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/03/report-several-hundred-disney-interactive-employees-face-layo/?

2) In a weird turn of events, rumors of Ubisoft dropping the Watch Dogs trademark ended up being both debunked and confirmed. Ubisoft debunked them being the ones filing the request although confirmed someone else managed to file a successful fraudulent request meaning the company is currently working to regain parts of the trademark back.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/update-ubisofts-watchdogs-trademark-abandonment-fraud-and-will-be-re-instated-soon

[ClockShot]

What are the odds Infinity totally backfires and Disney resurrects LucasArts?

[Kalyx triaD]

Why would that failing bring back LucasArts? And for what anyway?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I think he is talking about what Disney did with Pixar. They should have just made LucasArts the offical Disney game company like they basically did when they bought Pixar. Made the Pixar execs in charge of everything animation.

[Kalyx triaD]

Yeah but... why? LucasArts were not the rock stars they used to be. That's why I didn't care when Disney canned them.

[Fignuts]

Wasn't there news a while back that if Infinity didn't succeed, that future Star Wars games would be cancelled?

Back to vaporware for you, Battlefront 3.

[Emperor Smeat]

Think that might have been related to Disney as a whole and not tied to anything specific.

Disney went all in with Infinity to the point they were expecting it to immediately match or be better than the Skylander series and generates tons of cash to fund everything else.

So far its already sold 3 million starter packs and literally turned around their entire gaming division to become profitable but Disney wanted a lot more.

http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/17/5320206/disney-infinity-sales-3-million-units

[DaveBrawl]

I had never even heard of it until I walked by a display in Gamestop the other day, and it was right next to Skylanders which was doing the same thing but looked better doing it.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Pokemon related news as the Pokemon Bank was released today in North America (Europe and Australia got it yesterday), Nintendo is currently offering a free Celebi to everyone who uses the Bank by September 30th, and the Pokemon website was recently redesigned with several new features added.
http://www.destructoid.com/pokemon-bank-launches-in-north-america-270052.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/here-s-how-to-get-the-free-celebi-from-the-pokemon-bank-270057.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/pokemon-com-gets-a-redesign-and-some-new-features-270039.phtml

2) Both Microsoft and Telltale Games states they are currently fixing issues regarding the Xbox 360's Season Pass for The Wolf Among Us. Xbox Live itself was revealed to be the main source of the problem with several games and DLC purchases being affected at the moment.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/02/05/ongoing-xbox-live-dlc-problems-affect-the-wolf-among-us-season-pass-holders.aspx

3) For those with an Xbox One, Microsoft states the first major firmware update is currently expected to arrive by February 11th.
http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-s-first-major-system-update-arrives-february-11-270007.phtml

[Sepholio]

I got Infinity for my son. It's like skylanders for a slightly younger target audience with the tox box mode from the last few toy story games added on top. It's good for small children/families, but that is about it.

[alvarado52]

So the Turtle beach XO Seven's aka the Official Xbox One TB headset is up for pre-order (http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/xbox-one-headsets/ear-force-xo-seven/389) and starts shipping 3/14. Thats not the news though...the news is that, one would assume, since this headset ships with the Xbox One headset adapter in box, maybe said adapter will be available for retail purchase soon?

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Capcom announces the upcoming reboot of Strider will be released on February 18 for PSN and February 19 for PC and XBLA. Other details included the game costing $14.99 and two new modes revealed (Beacon Run and Survival Mode).
http://www.screwattack.com/news/capcom-has-announced-release-dates-double-helix%E2%80%99s-strider

2) Sega reveals the next Sonic game will be called Sonic Boom with several details including the game being a Wii U and 3DS exclusive, character designs are inspired by the upcoming cartoon show, and Big Red Button is developing the game.
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/sonic_boom/b/wii_u/archive/2014/02/06/sonic-boom-has-roots-in-jak-and-daxter.aspx
http://www.destructoid.com/sega-reveals-new-sonic-boom-sub-franchise-and-game-270111.phtml
http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=221906

3) Ready at Dawn studio states PS4 exclusive The Order 1886 will not feature any multiplayer modes.
http://www.destructoid.com/ps4-exclusive-the-order-1886-won-t-have-multiplayer-270103.phtml

[alvarado52]

CoD moving to three year cycle, with Sledgehammer doing this year's release. I'm sure Smeatball will post the deeets.

Pretty lame. I was looking forward to Treyarchs followup this year.

[Miotch]

Why? Blops 2 was beyond terrible.

[alvarado52]

Are you kidding me? That game was easily the best CoD since MW2

[Miotch]

Agree to disagree then. The lag issues with that game made multiplayer terrible. I'm thoroughly enjoying Ghosts though.

[alvarado52]

That says plenty right there. You're enjoying Ghosts.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) As alvarado52 stated last night, Sledgehammer Games has officially been upgraded to a full developer for the Call of Duty series and is currently working on this year's game. A few other details include the series now moving to a 3 studio rotation, Raven and Neversoft have officially become helper studios for the series, and Treyarch will get the next game for 2015.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/activision-changing-call-duty-formula-moving-two-year-life-cycle-three-year-life-cycle

2) Update to issues regarding The Wolf Among Us Xbox 360 Season Pass as Telltale Games is currently giving away free Episode 2 codes to all Season Pass owners while both Microsoft and Telltale are currently working on fixing the problems with the Pass.
http://www.destructoid.com/telltale-offers-wolf-among-us-360-season-pass-fix-270161.phtml

3) According to Ubisoft, The Division actually has two developers with Ubisoft Reflections recently revealed to be helping Ubisoft Massive and around 40% of the game's development has been done by Reflections.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/ubisoft-massive-co-developing-tom-clancys-the-division-with-ubisoft-reflections/

[Emperor Smeat]

According to the creator of Flappy Bird, the game will be removed from all app stores before the end of tomorrow.

While it wasn't stated, the official reason appears to be related to recent backlash with this time involving the amount of ad revenue generated by the game ($50,000 per day). The level of backlash has gotten to the point that dealing with the game is no longer worth the hassle for the creator.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore.</p>&mdash; Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) <a href="https://twitter.com/dongatory/statuses/432227971173068800">February 8, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

http://www.screwattack.com/news/smartphone-hit-flappy-bird-generating-50000-ad-revenue-day

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) According to the community manager from Warner Bros Montreal, its very unlikely several of the game breaking bugs in Batman: Arkham Origins will ever be fixed due to the official reason of Warner Bros wanting DLC development to be given all the focus and top priority.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/game-breaking-bugs-remain-arkham-origins-may-never-be-fixed-because-dlc-takes-priority

2) Activision states the PC, Xbox One, and PS4 are both the top priority and have been the lead platforms for the development of this year's Call of Duty game.
http://www.destructoid.com/this-year-s-call-of-duty-to-prioritize-pc-ps4-xbox-one-270313.phtml

3) Ubisoft's recent fiscal report (3Q 2013) reveals the company saw a 35% drop in sales and around a loss of $300 million in revenue compared to the same period last year with several game delays given as the official excuse. Speaking of delays, Ubisoft announces another delay with the Wii U version of Watch Dogs now delayed to TBA date although all other versions are expected to arrive by June.
http://www.destructoid.com/delays-send-ubisoft-sales-down-over-30-percent-270321.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/watch-dogs-wii-u-delayed-other-versions-due-before-june-270310.phtml

4) According to reports, the new CEO of Microsoft currently facing internal pressure from investors to kill off the Xbox brand in order to focus more on the Windows brand. Recent fiscal reports revealed the Xbox division lost around $1 billion last year with only the Bing division being worse overall at $1.3 billion.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/new-microsoft-ceo-faces-investor-pressure-to-kill-xbox-division/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Sony announces the PS Vita Slim will be arriving in North America this Spring along with a price tag of $200 and will be bundled with both the Vita version of Borderlands 2 and a 8GB memory card.
http://www.screwattack.com/video/PlayStation-Vita-Slim-is-revealed-for-North-American-release-and-comes-bundled-with-Borderlands-2-12827983
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/the-new-ps-vita-is-coming-overseas/2300-8481/

2) Some Xbox One related news as Microsoft states the headset compatibility adapter and next major firmware update both arrive next month. The adapter costs $24.99 while the update includes Friends List and multiplayer fixes.
http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-stereo-headset-and-adapter-coming-in-march-270342.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-march-update-will-add-multiplayer-party-fixes-270341.phtml

3) Previously 3DS and Vita exclusive Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate currently teased to be getting ported to the Xbox 360 and PS3 later this year.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/batman-arkham-origins-blackgate-console-listing-appears/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Nintendo announces a new Nintendo Direct episode will arrive tomorrow and focuses mainly on upcoming Spring games for the Wii U and 3DS.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/02/12/nintendo-direct-scheduled-for-thursday-february-13.aspx

2) According to South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park: The Stick of Truth has officially reached "gold" status and is track to met its March 4 release date.
http://www.destructoid.com/stick-of-truth-goes-gold-trey-and-matt-weigh-in-270438.phtml
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-has-officially-gone-/2300-8493/

3) Microsoft is currently working on a patch for the Xbox One controller to fix several input issues with Respawn Entertainment being the ones who requested the fixes to be done before Titanfall arrives.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/02/12/respawn-and-microsoft-are-refining-the-xbox-one-controller.aspx

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Nordic Games states both the Red Faction and Darksiders series will be getting collection sets released later this year for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 although the Xbox 360 will only get the Darksiders set.
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/13/nordic-games-to-release-darksiders-red-faction-compilations
http://www.destructoid.com/darksiders-and-red-faction-are-getting-new-collections-270489.phtml

2) According to Square Enix Montreal, the mobile Hitman game they are currently developing called Hitman GO was revealed to be a turn-based strategy game.
http://www.destructoid.com/the-new-hitman-game-for-mobile-has-surprising-potential-270490.phtml

3) Valve announces a new tagging feature for Steam allows users to group together games and software to make it easier to organize their Steam library.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/valve-introduces-tagging-system-for-games-and-software-on-steam/

4) Square Enix has revealed some details regarding the PS4 beta for Final Fantasy XIV which includes the beta starting February 22nd, all PS4 owners are invited to participate, and the transfer system will make the retail PS3 version unplayable once done unless a new copy is bought.
http://www.destructoid.com/square-enix-details-final-fantasy-xiv-ps4-beta-270474.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Based on a suppossed leak from Amazon UK, the next Transformers game is likely to be called Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark and be avaliable on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, 3DS and Wii U.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-new-transformers-game-called-rise-dark-spark-has-leaked-amazon-uk

2) Some highlights from the recent Nintendo Direct include a new game in the Ace Attorney series is in development, a free-to-play game called Rusty's Real Deal Baseball is expected to arrive in April and includes the ability to haggle to reduce game prices, NES Remix 2 with a new set of NES games arrives on April 25th, and GBA games will arrive on the Wii U Virtual Console this Spring. Other highlights include Little Mac revealed as the newest fighter for the upcoming Smash Bros game and the Koopalings being playable characters for Mario Kart 8.
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/here-s-what-nintendo-just-announced/1100-4865/
http://www.screwattack.com/news/get-recap-all-your-nintendo-direct-news-one-place
http://www.destructoid.com/koopalings-playable-for-the-first-time-in-mario-kart-8-270512.phtml

3) Halo 2 Anniversary rumored to be releasing later this year according to the voice actor for Master Chief. Halo 5 was also rumored to arrive no earlier than 2015.
http://www.destructoid.com/halo-2-anniversary-coming-this-year-says-voice-actor-270544.phtml

[Fignuts]

Really loving NES Remix. Glad there's more on the way.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Update to recent Transformers news as Activision confirms Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is in development with Edge of Reality studio as developers and not High Moon studio.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/update-transformers-rise-dark-spark-officially-announced-nyc-toy-fair
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/another-transformers-movie-another-transformers-vi/2300-8516/

2) Microsoft states the upcoming sale for the digital version of Ryse will be acting as a test for how the company will handle future price drops for digital Xbox One games.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/ryse-sale-is-microsofts-way-of-exploring-flexible-digital-pricing/

3) Warning - For those with a Kickstarter account, the company announced they have been hacked recently although hackers did not manage to access any sensitive customer data. They are urging people to change their password as soon as possible.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/kickstarted-was-hacked-earlier-week-so-if-you-have-account-change-your-password

[Kalyx triaD]

Utter bullshit that High Moon isn't doing a TF game. I have nothing really to forward to. Ugh.

[alvarado52]

Irrational Games is shutting down. (http://kotaku.com/bioshock-studio-irrational-games-is-winding-down-all-1525186316?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow)

[alvarado52]

Ok...it's more like down sizing. Just being dramatic.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) The Strider reboot game from Double Helix has been released today for XBLA, PSN, and PC services.
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/double-helix-s-new-strider-game-hits-xbox-live-psn/2300-8519/

2) According to Sony, they have managed to sell around 5.3 million PS4s since its launch and almost doubled the sales of the Xbox One for the month of January in the US.
http://www.destructoid.com/ps4-outsells-xbox-in-january-sales-cross-5-3-million-270745.phtml

3) Elder Scrolls Online is rumored to take around 150 hours to reach the max level according to playtestesrs and estimates.
http://www.destructoid.com/elder-scrolls-online-may-take-150-hours-to-get-max-level-270737.phtml

4) Cliff Bleszinski teases he is no longer interested in developing disc-based games and the project he is currently working on will only be for PC.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/cliff-bleszinski-will-never-make-another-disc-based-game-next-project-will-be-for-pc/

[Fignuts]

Might have to check out Strider.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Bethesda states Wolfenstein: The New Order will be released on May 20th and includes access to the beta for the next Doom game.
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/wolfenstein-the-new-order-arrives-may-20-comes-wit/2300-8524/

2) Square Enix considering expanding their PC efforts to include more Final Fantasy games in the future and even the possibility of the PC versions being released at the same time as the console versions.
http://www.destructoid.com/we-could-see-more-final-fantasy-games-on-pc-in-the-future-270801.phtml

3) Peter Molyneux states his studio is developing a new monetization system to be used for Godus that hasn't been used or seen with other free-to-play games.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/godus-will-employ-monetization-that-hasnt-existed-before-claims-molyneux/

[dronepool]

Last of US: Left Behind DLC just came out.

[OssMan]

LONDON — Convicted mass killer Anders Behring Breivik (http://www.latimes.com/topic/crime-law-justice/crime/anders-breivik-PEOCVC000152.topic), the right-wing extremist who methodically hunted down and shot dozens of young people at a summer camp in Norway, has threatened to mount a hunger strike if his prison conditions don’t improve, including better video games.
Breivik, 35, sent a letter to media outlets saying he would starve himself to death if his demands weren’t met, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Among those demands is access to a sofa and a bigger gym.
Agence France-Presse said that, in a letter it received last week, Breivik described the present conditions of his confinement as “torture.” He enclosed a list of 12 demands he had sent to prison authorities in November, including easier communication with the outside world and a PlayStation 3 to replace the current PlayStation 2, because it offers more suitable games.
“Other inmates have access to adult games while I only have the right to play less interesting kids’ games. One example is ‘Rayman Revolution,’ a game aimed at 3-year-olds,” Breivik complained to prison officials.
“You’ve put me in hell ... and I won’t manage to survive that long,” he added. “You are killing me.”

[Kalyx triaD]

PS2 has the best library that generation, the dumb fuck.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) According to Tony Hawk himself, a new game in the Tony Hawk series is currently in development.
http://www.gonintendo.com/s/222844-ign-new-tony-hawk-game-in-the-works-for-unknown-platform

2) Capcom announces they have recently partnered with Virgin Gaming to allow money matches to be possible for Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.
http://www.destructoid.com/you-can-bet-real-money-on-super-street-fighter-iv-270837.phtml

3) According to Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer, the expectations for the next Gears of War game currently in development for the Xbox One are to both revitalize and provide growth for the series future.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/gears-of-war-on-xbox-one-must-reignite-franchise-and-grow-it-says-phil-spencer/

[Disturbed316]

Honestly don't know what else they can do with Gears. For me it ended at 3, did not like Judgement at all.

[Kalyx triaD]

Capcom's making a mistake with this one.

[Purgatory]

Dead Rising 3 has gotten awesome.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Both Warner Bros and developer Armature Studio confirms Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is getting ported to the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC. Other details include a release date of April 1st for North America and April 2nd for Europe, the game to cost $20, extra multiplayer skins, and revamped gameplay.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/update-armature-studio-confirms-hd-console-and-pc-ports-arkham-origins-blackgate-are-coming-soo

2) Sony announces they will be revealing their VR headset for the PS4 during next month's Game Developers Conference expo.
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-unveiling-its-oculus-rift-competitor-at-gdc-2014-270945.phtml

3) Freebies/Sales - Upcoming March promotion from Nintendo involves getting a free digital copy of Pokemon X/Y with the purchase of either a 2DS or 3DS XL and one qualified game. Steam is currently holding a Ubisoft themed sale with all Ubisoft games getting discounts going as high as 75% off.
http://www.destructoid.com/free-pokemon-x-y-with-purchase-of-2ds-3ds-xl-and-game-270909.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/up-to-75-off-on-a-bunch-of-ubisoft-games-on-steam-270893.phtml

4) Amazon rumored to be releasing next month their own set-top box similar to Apple TV and Roku devices that would also support gaming capabilities.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/report-amazon-may-release-a-set-top-box-that-might-include-gaming-apps-in-march/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Playstation-related news as Sony announces Gran Turismo 5 will be dropping online multiplayer support by the end of May, several DLC packs for GT5 will be delisted by the end of April, and Sony is teasing a big gaming related announcement to occur next month.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/gran-turismo-5-online-features-be-removed-end-may
http://www.destructoid.com/select-dlc-from-gran-turismo-5-to-be-pulled-271026.phtml
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sony-teasing-major-ps4-game-reveal

2) Sales - Best Buy is currently having a 20% Off sale on Nintendo eShop cards from now until March 1st. For those interested in the Xbox One and are in the UK, Microsoft announced the console is getting a £40 price drop starting this Friday.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/nintendo-eshop-cards-20-until-march-1st-best-buy
http://www.destructoid.com/titanfall-xbox-one-bundle-announced-and-a-uk-price-drop-271046.phtml

3) Oculus VR states they have temporarily halted production for Oculus Rift headsets due to several components currently used in the headset are no longer being made by their current supplier. They stated production will resume once they get a deal with a new manufacturer.
http://www.destructoid.com/oculus-rift-halting-production-due-to-lack-of-components-271048.phtml

4) Ubisoft Montreal boss Jade Raymond debunks rumors of the next Assassin's Creed game taking place in Japan during the Samurai Age. Rumors of the next game taking place in London during the late Industrial Revolution are also likely to be getting officially debunked soon.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/assassins-creed-v-wont-be-set-in-medieval-japan/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Microsoft announces Twitch streaming support for the Xbox One will arrive by March 11th.
http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-twitch-streaming-all-the-details-271100.phtml
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/twitch-broadcasting-comes-to-xbox-one-on-march-11/2300-8544/

2) Some Persona-related news as Arc System Works states Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be released in North America later this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Atlus states Persona 5 will be getting released outside of Japan next year with the PS3 and PS4 hinted as platforms, and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth for the 3DS will be released later this year in North America.
http://www.destructoid.com/persona-4-arena-ultimax-confirmed-for-north-america-271079.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/persona-5-confirmed-for-north-america-coming-2015-271074.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/persona-q-shadow-of-the-labyrinth-coming-fall-2014-271075.phtml

3) After recent controversy involving King.com and their "Candy" trademark, the company announced they have recently filed an abandonment request for their "Candy" trademark. It appears the reason for this was likely due to the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) recently getting involved with King.com and other developers in this dispute.
http://www.destructoid.com/king-files-to-abandon-its-ridiculous-candy-trademark-271117.phtml
https://www.igda.org/news/161325/IGDA-Statement-on-King-Trademark.htm

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Starting today Valve has granted publishers/developers on Steam the ability to do sales on their own and anytime they want.
http://www.destructoid.com/steam-developers-can-now-start-sales-without-valve-271199.phtml

2) For those with a Call of Duty Elite subscription, Activision states they will be completely ending the service on February 28th.
http://www.destructoid.com/activision-is-ending-call-of-duty-elite-on-friday-271179.phtml

3) Sony's Santa Monica announces the studio has been recently hit with layoffs with rumors of at least one project getting cancelled as a result.
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-santa-monica-has-been-hit-with-layoffs-271133.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Nintendo states online multiplayer support for both the DS and Wii will be getting dropped by May 20th and includes online multiplayer for Wii Mode on the Wii U. Current internet services, apps, and shops for both platforms are not being affected by these changes.
http://kotaku.com/nintendo-killing-online-services-for-wii-ds-1532216462
http://www.screwattack.com/news/nintendo-pulling-plug-dsdsi-and-wii-wi-fi

2) Update to recent Tony Hawk series news as it was revealed the game will arrive later this year and is only for mobile devices.
http://www.destructoid.com/oh-that-new-tony-hawk-game-is-only-on-mobile-271245.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Sega states this year's overall fiscal report is expected to reveal bigger losses than originally predicted. They are currently expecting a net loss of around $166 million and a 36% drop in overall revenue. Other fiscal areas are also expected to see huge drops.

Sega has slashed its fiscal year profit forecast by more than a third, mainly due to the performance of its Pachinko and Amusement Machine businesses.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, Sega has cut its revenue forecast by 23 per cent, from ¥485 billion to ¥377 billion ($3.7 billion). Net income will be even more seriously affected, dropping 36 per cent from ¥47 billion to ¥30 billion ($294 million).

However, Sega's operating income will suffer the greatest loss of all: a 49 per cent drop from ¥73 billion to ¥37 billion ($364 million).

http://www.screwattack.com/news/sega-readjusts-forecast-foresees-166-million-net-income-decrease
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-02-28-sega-cuts-profit-forecast-by-36-per-cent

[Disturbed316]

Apparently this is the sensor screen for gamers in Europe who are getting South Park: Stick of Truth:

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/03/censor-610x457.jpg

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Staaaan Staaaan they're censoring our art Stannn...avenge me!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/j2zlPNGuPbw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Kalyx triaD]

I... I just love those guys.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Battlefield 4 related news as DICE recently stated fixing the game's netcode is currently one of their top priorities and Obliteration mode has become unplayable due to a recent patch update.
http://www.destructoid.com/dice-prioritizing-battlefield-4-netcode-issues-271400.phtml
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/04/report-latest-battlefield-4-patch-obliterates-obliteration-mode.aspx

2) Sony states this year's PSN Spring Fever sale starts today with certain indie games getting a 20% discount per week and the whole promotion lasting till March 31st. Non-indie games will also be getting special sales during the month as well.
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-s-spring-fever-playstation-network-sale-is-back-271381.phtml

3) BioWare's general manager states the studio is currently considering the idea of porting the Mass Effect trilogy set to the Xbox One and PS4.
http://www.destructoid.com/bioware-has-discussed-bringing-mass-effect-trilogy-to-ps4-xbox-one-271379.phtml

4) Eidos Montreal states layoffs have recently occurred at the studio with around 27-30 employees released.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/04/layoffs-hit-eidos-montreal-following-the-release-of-thief.aspx

5) Dishonored rumored to be getting a sequel and to be revealed during this year's E3 event.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/report-dishonored-ii-being-unveiled-at-e3-2014-according-to-a-mysterious-image/

[ClockShot]

Wonder how they'll spin Dishonored 2? A few endings one must take into consideration.

[Disturbed316]

Censor screen for South Park for people in Australia:

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/03/South-Park-AU.jpg

[ClockShot]

Bad news out of the Naughty Dog camp. Amy Hennig, the mastermind behind the Uncharted series, has left. Word out of the rumor mill is that she was forced out by Neil Druckman and Bruce Straley from "The Last of Us".


http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/05/uncharted-ps4-writer-amy-hennig-leaves-naughty-dog

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) The Project Spark beta has been recently expanded to include the Xbox One and allows Windows beta users instant access to the Xbox One version.
http://www.destructoid.com/project-spark-beta-extended-to-xbox-one-271455.phtml

2) For those interested in Awesomenauts Assemble! on the PS4, developer Abstraction Games stated the game does not contain all the content currently on the PC version of the game. Specifically the PS4 version won't have any Starstorm features nor playable Ted McPain character.
http://www.destructoid.com/awesomenauts-assemble-right-now-is-basically-a-pre-starstorm-iteration-271465.phtml

3) Ace Team studio announces they are currently developing a game called Abyss Odussey which was described as a 2.5d platformer fighting hybrid, features randomly generated levels, and allows players to absorb abilities from defeated enemies.
Abyss Odyssey will also borrow from the roguelike genre, specifically randomly generated environments. As players explore these areas, the enemies they encounter won’t be one-off, quick encounters, but rather fighting game–style showdowns between player and combatant, with combatants touting move sets as complex as the player’s. After defeating an enemy, players will be able to absorb them and play as them, utilizing their individual move sets.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/zeno-clash-devs-announce-2-5d-platformer-fighting-game-hybrid-abyss-odyssey/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Sony related news as Gamestop is currently rumored to have increased the price of the PS4 camera due to its recent scarcity and Sony's American branch president and CEO Jack Tretton announces he has recently left the company.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-gamestop-taking-advantage-ps4-camera-scarcity-price-increase
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/jack-tretton-no-longer-with-sony/1100-4876/

2) Sales/Freebies - The Playstation Store is currently offering a free digital copy of MGS: Peace Walker HD for those who pre-order MGS V: Ground Zeroes from them. Microsoft announces starting next week, those that purchase a Xbox One in the US at certain retailers will get the digital copy of Forza 5 as a free gift.
http://www.destructoid.com/pre-order-metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-on-ps3-get-peace-walker-hd-free-271562.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/forza-5-free-with-xbox-one-purchases-in-the-us-271568.phtml

3) Nintendo of Europe announces Mario Kart 8's pre-order bonus will be retailer specific keyrings (Golden Mushroom, Bullet Bill, and Red Shell) while the game itself will be getting a collector's edition which includes the game itself and a spiked blue shell statue. NoE also revealed a special Mario Kart promotion for the UK involving getting £5.49 off the digital version of Mario Kart 8 with the purchase of Super Mario Kart from the Wii U's Virtual Console.
http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-announces-mario-kart-8-collector-s-edition-271545.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/mario-kart-snes-coming-to-the-uk-vc-with-a-special-deal-271544.phtml

4) According to the New York Times, Disney Interactive has laid off around 700 employees or roughly 26% of its total workforce while also stating they are going to focus a lot more towards mobile gaming.
http://www.destructoid.com/disney-interactive-lays-off-700-employees-to-double-down-on-mobile--271561.phtml

[Mercenary]

Gamestop loves putting the screws to people

[Fignuts]

Civilzation Revolution is free on Xbox Live this month.

Always wanted to try a Civ game.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Update to Uncharted series head writer leaving Naughty Dog as the studio denies rumors of Amy Hennig being forced out although the actual reason for the sudden departure has yet to be revealed by the studio or Henning.
http://www.destructoid.com/naughty-dog-comments-on-uncharted-writer-s-departure-271609.phtml

2) Konami announces the first DLC pack for Castlevania: Lords of Shadows 2 called "Revelations" will be released on March 25th, contains Alucard as a playable character, and deals with Alucard's relation with Dracula in the game.
http://www.destructoid.com/konami-reveals-alucard-castlevania-lords-of-shadow-2-dlc-271602.phtml

3) Respawn Entertainment states neither they nor Microsoft will be banning anyone who plays their legit retail copy of Titanfall before the game's official release date. However, they also did not guarantee serves will always be available during that same period.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/respawn-will-not-ban-titanfall-players-with-legitimate-copies-before-launch/

[Disturbed316]

Civilzation Revolution is free on Xbox Live this month.

Always wanted to try a Civ game.

A good one to start with, one of my favourites.

[Kalyx triaD]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9Wm8-DsVqHE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Emperor Smeat]

According to ESPN, R.B.I. Baseball 14 is rumored to be getting released on April 10 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and mobile devices.

In regards to next gen consoles, no Wii U version was announced while no date was announced for the Xbox One and PS4 version.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/07/report-rbi-baseball-14-takes-the-current-gen-mound-on-april-10/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) AMC announces they are collaborating with Next Games studio on a new The Walking Dead game for mobile devices.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/amc-takes-another-stap-walking-dead-game

2) Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer states they are planning on tweaking their Games For Gold services with him hinting both the service not changing into a rental-like service similar to Playstation Plus and the games to be more newer for the offerings.
http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-s-phil-spencer-talks-improving-games-with-gold-271709.phtml
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/microsoft-games-with-gold-will-feel-more-true-to-what-people-want-in-the-future/

3) According to recently leaked images, the upcoming Playstation Now program is rumored to have flexible pricing for rentals with both $4.99 and $5.99 teased as prices.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/playstation-now-mockup-hints-at-possible-price-point/

4) Nintendo announces they will be doing some extended maintenance for both the Wii U and the 3DS online services this Thursday which will last around 4 hours and requires both eShops to be taken offline.
http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-will-be-doing-extended-maintenance-on-march-13-271690.phtml

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Sony states DriveClub is very likely to be pushed out of a 2014 release due to the game's development "going back to the drawing board" and quality related issues.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/it-looks-driveclub-may-not-make-its-2014-launch-ps4

2) Oculus VR states they have recently hired Atman Binstock, Valve's former VR lead engineer, as their new chief architect. Binstock stated the move was due to Oculus being farther along with VR tech than Valve and both companies now working with each other on VR tech.
http://www.destructoid.com/valve-s-vr-lead-atman-binstock-leaves-to-head-oculus-rift-271777.phtml

3) The Witcher 3 has been delayed from its planned late 2014 release to now a February 2015 release.
http://www.destructoid.com/cd-projekt-pushes-the-witcher-3-to-february-2015-271772.phtml
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-set-to-release-february-2015/

4) Ubisoft Toronto managing director Jade Raymond revealed in a recent interview with the Toronto Sun that the studio is currently working on five unannounced projects.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/ubisoft-toronto-working-on-five-unannounced-projects/

[ClockShot]

And I was gonna reserve DriveClub the other day, but decided against it.

Hope the game doesn't go down the path Thief did. Keep starting the game over again from scratch.

[Fignuts]

Today's News:



3) The Witcher 3 has been delayed from its planned late 2014 release to now a February 2015 release.
http://www.destructoid.com/cd-projekt-pushes-the-witcher-3-to-february-2015-271772.phtml
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-set-to-release-february-2015/




Fucking fuck

[Sepholio]

Witcher 3 delay makes me sad.

[VSG]

Ya, that was shitty news.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) According to a report from Edge, Sony is still expected to debut their VR headset during next week's GDC event with several third party developers rumored to already have access to the device.
http://www.destructoid.com/sony-expected-to-reveal-its-virtual-reality-headset-next-week-271822.phtml

2) CD Projekt RED states the recent delay for The Witcher 3 won't have any impact towards their other project Cyberpunk 2077 which might arrive as early as mid to late 2015.
http://www.destructoid.com/the-witcher-3-delay-doesn-t-impact-cyberpunk-2077-271815.phtml

3) Mafia III rumored to be taking place in New Orleans and/or Louisiana based on recent casting applications for an unannounced project by Take-Two.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/take-two-casting-call-hints-at-a-mafia-iii-set-in-louisiana/

[Fignuts]

First I've heard of this Cyberpunk game. Huge fanboy for the cyberpunk genre, so I hope it's good.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Mirror's Edge 2's multiplayer currently rumored to be an open world sandbox style, require an "always on" internet connection, and features drop-in/out support. Combat was also rumored to support combo and parkour style attacks.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-mirrors-edge-2-mulitplayer-details-surface

2) Sega announces they are currently hosting a Humble Weekly Sale this week with the promotion broken down into three tiers with each tier adding in more games.
You can name your price for a bundle containing Alpha Protocol, Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit, Company of Heroes, and Rome: Total War. The next step up, reachable by paying at least $6, adds The Typing of the Dead: Overkill, Renegade Ops, Medieval II: Total War, and 10 Sega Genesis titles, including Vectorman, Comix Zone, and Shinobi III. Lastly, at $15, you'll receive everything above and Total War: Shogun 2.
http://www.destructoid.com/sega-has-a-new-humble-sale-and-it-s-super-tempting-271887.phtml

3) For those interested, Creative Assembly has recently released a developer video for Alien: Isolation mostly regarding how they designed the game around the lone Xenomorph and how it will act during the game.
http://www.destructoid.com/how-creative-assembly-is-designing-their-alien-for-alien-isolation-271886.phtml

[Kalyx triaD]

I wouldn't have thought sandbox style for ME2 but sure whatever.

[Fignuts]

This isn't the first we've heard of it, and I'm a little skeptical about it. Almost every mission in the first game had a unique feel to it. Harder to accomplish in an open world.

Really hope they don't fuck it up.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Images of Amazon's rumored Android-based console controller supposedly were leaked recently along with the rumor of the controller to only be sold separately and not bundled with the device.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/rumor-amazons-unconfirmed-android-console-just-had-its-controller-leaked
http://www.destructoid.com/amazon-s-controller-isn-t-much-of-a-looker-271950.phtml

2) Naughty Dog states around 6 million copies of The Last of Us has been sold since the game's release
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/14/over-six-million-copies-of-the-last-of-us-have-been-sold.aspx

3) Valve revealed both the new redesign for their Steam Box controller and the announcement of the new controller being part of their showcase for next week's GDC expo.
http://www.destructoid.com/valve-shows-off-its-redesigned-steam-controller-271963.phtml

4) PopCap states an undisclosed amount of employees were laid off from the studio today.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/unknown-number-of-popcap-employees-laid-off-today/

[Sepholio]

Dead Rising 3 has gotten awesome.

Indeed! Started really digging into it and it is like zombie apocalypse training. I feel much more confident in my ability to rig a motorcycle, steamroller and flamethrowers together in order to survive when this shit really happens.

[Emperor Smeat]

For those in Canada and interested in the PS4, Sony states an official price hike has been made to both the PS4 and Dualshock 4 controller. The official reason given was due to "changes in the market environment" and the implied reason due to the status of the Canadian dollar.

The increase, effective today, raised the PlayStation 4’s price from $399 to $449 – a $50 increase. The console’s Dualshock 4 controllers saw a $5 increase, effectively raising it to $64.99.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sony-playstation-4-and-peripherals-see-price-increase-canada

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Warner Bros. Interactive announces the Gauntlet series is getting revived with a new game currently in development at Arrowhead Game studio (developer of Magicka) for Steam and is expected to arrive later this year.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/warner-bros-interactive-revisiting-classic-arcade-revival-gauntlet

2) Koji Igarashi, producer of the Castlevania series, announces he has left Konami with the goal to form his own studio in the near future.
http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/koji-igarashi-exiting-konami/1100-4880/
http://www.destructoid.com/legendary-castlevania-developer-koji-igarashi-leaves-konami-272052.phtml

3) Ubisoft states Ghost Recon Online has been renamed to Ghost Recon Phantoms and is currently expected to arrive on April 10 for the PC.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/ghost-recon-online-launching-on-steam-and-pc-in-april-as-ghost-recon-phantoms/

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Walmart states starting next week they will accept game trade-ins and also sell used games at both their in-store locations and online store.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/walmart-will-begin-accept-used-games-trade-next-week

2) Microsoft is currently rumored to be working on their own Virtual Reality headset based on several patents recently filed.
http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-reportedly-working-on-its-own-virtual-reality-technology-272115.phtml

3) Recent rumored regarding Amazon's rumored console-like box include the device being similar in design to Google's Chromecast and would support game streaming similar in design to OnLive's streaming system.
http://www.destructoid.com/amazon-s-set-top-box-could-offer-pc-game-streaming-service-272112.phtml

4) Departures - Jaime Griesemer, lead designer of InFamous: Second Son, announces he has recently left Sucker Punch Productions. Marc Whitten, Chief Product Officer of Xbox, announces he has recently left Microsoft after being with the company for the past 14 years.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/infamous-second-son-lead-designer-jaime-griesemer-confirms-sucker-punch-departure/
http://www.destructoid.com/14-year-xbox-veteran-marc-whitten-leaves-microsoft-272082.phtml

[ClockShot]

Sheesh. Big exodus of game talent leaving some quality outfits these days.

[Sepholio]

Yeah but it seems like that always happens. Always big names leaving to form new ventures. It is something you have to be willing to do in todays world if you want true creative freedom.

[Kalyx triaD]

Good.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Some Virtual Reality related news as Sony debuted their VR headset codenamed Morpheus and works in tandem with the PS Move controller and PS camera. Oculus VR announces the newest version of the Rift development kit will cost $350 with the price increase due to all the new tech added since the last kit.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/sony-reveals-their-own-vr-headset-codenamed-project-morpheus-gdc-14
http://www.screwattack.com/news/oculus-vr-reveals-latest-development-kit-priced-350

2) Based on supposed leaked images and details, one of the two planned Assassin's Creed games this year is rumored to be titled as "Assassin's Creed: Unity" and meant only for next gen consoles. The other AC game is rumored to be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3. No Wii U version of either game was hinted while the PC was hinted to have at least one of the games.
http://kotaku.com/leaked-images-reveal-one-of-this-falls-two-assassins-1547111652
http://www.destructoid.com/screenshots-of-next-assassin-s-creed-game-leak-272178.phtml

3) Epic Games revealed some details regarding the business-side of their Unreal 4 engine with the license costing $19 per month and available to anyone who wants to use the engine, a 5% fee on all gross revenue made using the engine, supports mobile and PC platforms, and the ability to cancel at anytime although the 5% fee requirement stays intact and loss access to future updates for the kit.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/unreal-engine-4-will-be-made-available-to-everyone-for-a-monthly-subscription-fee/

[Sepholio]

That UE4 stuff is awesome. Gonna give way more people access to great tech. I see lots of great things coming from the indie gaming scene in the next few years because of this.

[VSG]

Microsoft is going to introduce DirectX 12 tomorrow, hopefully inspired by AMD's Mantle API.

[Kalyx triaD]

Provided they remember to make good games regardless of the engine.

[Sepholio]

Seriously though. DX releases are generally something I'm pretty stoked for. Every iteration has at least a couple of pretty amazing improvements. Here's hoping they keep it up and make some good games to show off the new tech.

[Kalyx triaD]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/TYSsr6nlSmc?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sepholio]

I hope Mighty No. 9 makes it to release, but come on. I know the man created the greatness that is Megaman, but I find it hard to believe Capcom is going to let him get away with........that.

[Sepholio]

CMON MAN even Mighty No. 7 is a clear rip off of Zero.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Along with the Unreal 4 Engine, Crytek announces their newest CryEngine will also be using a subscription-based model which costs $10 per month and doesn't have a royalty fee requirement.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/unreal-engine-4-and-cryengine-changing-subscription-based-services

2) Some Sucker Punch related news as the company revealed the Day 1 patch for Infamous: Second Son contains an extra 19 in-game missions and an Easter egg found in Infamous: Second Son could be teasing a new Sly Cooper game arriving in the near future.
http://www.destructoid.com/day-one-patch-for-infamous-second-son-adds-19-missions-272254.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/is-sucker-punch-teasing-another-sly-cooper-game--272181.phtml

3) Karl Stewart, vice president of marketing at Square Enix's North American and European branches, announces he has recently left the company to join marketing company Petrol Advertising
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/square-enix-vp-of-marketing-karl-stewart-announces-his-departure-after-8-years/

4) Microsoft officially debuted DirectX 12 today at GDC with a few details including DX12 being predicted to offer around a 50% boost overall to game performance compared to DX11, dev kits are expected to arrive later this year, and the first games running on DX 12 are currently predicted to arrive by late 2015.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/microsoft-formally-announces-directx-12-shares-a-few-details-about-its-potential/

[Kalyx triaD]

I hope Mighty No. 9 makes it to release, but come on. I know the man created the greatness that is Megaman, but I find it hard to believe Capcom is going to let him get away with........that.

That was discussed.

Capcom will do nothing for two main reasons:

1) Inafune spoke about how the similarities between Beck and Rock are based purely on his creative style rather. He's not ripping off "himself", any character he would make for an action sidescroller would always look like that. Any gameplay he would design would look like that. Anything else would be him not being honest with himself.

2) Capcom knows by now any attempt to C&D this will result in nothing short than its death as a company. The backlash would be historic. I'm sure they discussed it internally. They won't do anything.

[Tom Guycott]

... especially considering Capcom already saw fit to drop the ball on their last major anneversary of Megaman. Sanctioning a fan homebrew remix of MM2 and including Rock in a Smash Bros game isn't exactly the rockstar treatment for 25 years of being your go-to.

[Fignuts]

Video for the engine running The Division. Looks insane.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_F-hwyu9bcU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Sepholio]

yeah I've been drooling over the snowdrop engine demo since I first saw it. Reminds me of the shock factor from seeing the first demos for Crysis a few years ago.

[Kalyx triaD]

Meanwhile, the recent Cryengine trailer looks like shit compared to Snowdrop, Frost, and Unreal(3). Just crude and stale, much like the Crysis games, really.

Me and my were shockingly impressed by the Unreal 4 showcase, which is a stark turn from how we used to feel about it. After messing with Unity we've come to appreciate the little details. And what ArcSys has down with the previous version is impressive.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Ubisoft confirmed Assassin's Creed: Unity is currently in development with the game to arrive later this year, takes place in Paris during the French Revolution, and will arrive for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4. They did not confirm nor deny the rumors of a separate Assassin's Creed game arriving for the PS3, Xbox 360, and/or PC/Wii U later this year.
http://www.destructoid.com/assassin-s-creed-unity-confirmed-for-pc-ps4-and-xbox-one-272293.phtml
http://www.giantbomb.com/videos/ubisoft-unveils-assassin-s-creed-unity/2300-8657/

2) Freebies/Sales - For those interested Nintendo is offering a free trial for Wii Sports Club this weekend for the US and UK. Also for those interested, Walmart is currently offering the Titanfall Xbox One bundle for the price of $450 ($50 discount).
http://www.destructoid.com/play-wii-sports-club-for-free-this-weekend-272301.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/walmart-has-the-xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-for-450-272296.phtml

3) According to Eurogamer, Far Cry 4 is expected to be announced during this year's E3 with a release date of early 2015, would take place in the Himalayas, and would feature ridable elephants.
http://www.destructoid.com/ridable-elephants-in-the-himalayas-rumored-for-far-cry-4-272297.phtml

4) Microsoft states they are considering adding in a reward system for "good behavior" players on Xbox Live with and could include special gamerscore and extra discounts on games as some of the possible rewards.
http://www.screwattack.com/news/players-could-be-rewarded-good-behaviour-xbox-live-says-microsoft

[Fignuts]

Nice. Psyched for new Far Cry.

[VSG]

Why do elephants need to be associated with any region near India?

[Fignuts]

Because Dhalsim.

[OssMan]

Why do elephants need to be associated with any region near India?

Because otherwise they would be irrelephant

[VSG]

That was rep worthy.

[ClockShot]

Far Cry 4 needs another villain the likes of Vaas.

That. Guy. Was. Cra-zay.

[Sepholio]

Vaas was the shiznite.

[Fignuts]

Yeah, he should of been the main villain. No idea why he wasn't. He was toted as the main baddy in all the marketing and previews.

Seems to be a trend lately of really cool badass villains rivaling the protagonist for most of the game, then at the end some lame, cliched suit and tie person swoops in as the last boss.

Looking at you Metal Gear Rising.

[Kalyx triaD]

That senator dude was hilarious.

[Fignuts]

It was too over the top, imo. Felt like they were trying too hard.

Game couldn't decide whether it wanted to be serious or over the top funny. Went from sombrero jokes to harvesting children's organs in minutes.

Regardless, Sam was awesome, and should have been the last boss.

[Kalyx triaD]

It's a Japanese character action game. If it wasn't over the top and melodramatic I would deem it a presentational failure.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Woo early access for Elder Scrolls in 6 days. Can't wait.

[Fignuts]

It's a Japanese character action game. If it wasn't over the top and melodramatic I would deem it a presentational failure.

He still sucked.

The problem is, these game spends most of your playthrough developing a relationship between protagonist and antagonist, little by little, delving into each other's motivations, so that by the time they fight, it has an epic feel. Then you keep going and take down the last boss in a battle devoid of everything that made the previous fight so cool.

These "Necron" bosses just pop in at the end, after maybe one or two brief appearances, and go about explaining their whole plan and why they did it during the fight. I have had no reason to give a fuck about this character, so I don't really give a fuck what he's saying. The characters have had zero interaction during the game, so it feels more like business, than a personal conflict.

That conflict needs to develop organically throughout the course of the game.

[Kalyx triaD]

You're looking at these types of games the wrong way, which is why you'll feel like this more often than not. Conflict doesn't need to develop - the final stages are meant to put your juiced up character to use against the hardest challenges. It's then the final gimmicks are tossed in as per the director's whim (MGS4 homage).

You don't have a reason to give a fuck, unless you like 'action'.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) For those who use RedBox, the company's online rental service is currently rumored to be expanding to include Wii U, Xbox One, and PS4 games next month.
http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/24/5541570/redbox-online-rental-service-to-begin-offering-wii-u-ps4-and-xbox-one

2) Some Microsoft related news as the company announced their E3 plans include a 90 minute conference and likely to be more game-focused than previous years, the ID@Xbox program for the Xbox One is currently their top priority, and they are planning another attempt at a renewed focus towards PC gaming.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/microsoft-e3-2014-press-conference-to-feature-more-games-and-less-execs/
http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-investing-in-name-brand-franchises-as-id-xbox-facilitates-indie-development-272304.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/microsoft-has-a-renewed-focus-on-pc-gaming-272309.phtml

3) Blizzard stated Diablo III is currently in development for the Xbox One called "Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition" although unlike the PS4 version also in development, they did not offer any other details nor any guarantees it would actually be released for the console.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/diablo-iii-ultimate-evil-edition-in-development-for-xbox-one/

4) According to a report by Forbes, the unofficial reason behind Dark Souls II visual downgrade was due to the game having serious stability and technical problems during development. According to the source, the PC version was the main priority during development and had serious problems getting the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions to work during the porting phase.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/report-dark-souls-ii-was-unplayable-and-broken-before-visual-downgrades-were-made/

[alvarado52]

IGN Reader poll just put Cloud as the #1 Final Fantasy character of all time, which isnt surprising...but I will never understand why people find him interesting. Cloud was always cold and stoic to me, I never got attached to him by any means compared to a character like Vivi from FF9.

[Fignuts]

He does open up throughout the course of the game.

And his reasons for being that way are actually interesting, and make sense, rather than being a stoic badass just for the sake of it.

[OssMan]

best FF character is GAU

[Sepholio]

I think Cloud gets the nod because he was one of the last 'great' silent protagonists. And he was in FF7 which is like automatic win.

Kefka is like the only person outside FF7 that ever wins these things.

[Fignuts]

Cloud wasn't a silent protagonist.

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Steam's Greenlight is currently rumored to be getting dropped within the next 12 months according to a developer at Curve Studios and from recent hints by Valve's founder Gabe Newell.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/25/report-developer-claims-valve-steam-greenlight-will-be-gone-within-12-months.aspx

2) Sony announces a wave of layoffs have occurred today at three of their UK-based studios with Evolution Studios, Guerrilla Cambridge, and SCE London Studio being affected.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/evolution-studios-guerrilla-cambridge-sce-london-studio-all-hit-with-layoffs/

3) Sales - Microsoft reveals the list of games available for this week's Xbox Live sales for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Among the games include Thief at 50% off (both versions), Tomb Raider at 50% off (both versions), CoD: Ghosts Digital Hardened Edition at 20% off (Xbox One only), and an assortment of Bioshock series related games and DLC between 50-75% off (Xbox 360 only).
http://www.destructoid.com/thief-tomb-raider-and-more-half-price-on-xbox-live-272429.phtml

[ClockShot]

Ol' Zuckerberg just shelled out $2 billion for Oculus VR.

[alvarado52]

Not sure WTF for. I really think we should all put our heads together and make the next big social network site so Facebook can collapse.

[Kalyx triaD]

Oculus always seemed kinda fail to me so nothing is lost.

[alvarado52]

But it seemed like a practical evolution in gaming...not social networking.

[Kalyx triaD]

I've yet to see one example, read one argument, on why this evolves gaming.

Finally becoming a profitable niche? Yeah, I can see that. Evolution in a linear sense? Nope. Sounds as silly as smart phone gaming being a challenge to core gaming, and now it's 'social gaming', because that little nugget failed. No more investor shit talk there anymore (Patcher, et al). Now Social Gaming is it's own thing rather than the 'core killer'.

Similarly, all this talk of how VR will lead gaming will shift in narrative to being it's own thing, no longer being the spearhead for the gaming industry.

I said this about Ouya, and Kinect, and Steambox's controller; my little litmus test for platforms claiming to be a big deal:

"If it can't play Street Fighter as is, it's not worth a damn."

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Update to the recent news of Facebook buying Oculus VR as Facebook denies rumors of the Oculus Rift being rebranded with Facebook logos and interface while also stating they won't get actively involved with Oculus VR's Rift tech and VR plans. Oculus VR themselves also confirmed they will retain majority control over their work and the new deal being valuable because of the steady supply of cash now available for the Rift project.
http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/26/facebook-oculus/
http://www.destructoid.com/oculus-post-facebook-acquisition-we-promise-we-won-t-change--272485.phtml

2) According to marketing firm SuperData, microtransactions on consoles managed to generate around $325 million last year with the Xbox 360 as the top platform and first person shooters as the top genre for revenues.
http://www.destructoid.com/microtransactions-made-352-million-on-consoles-last-year-272489.phtml

3) For those interested in the special "Panzerhund" collector's edition for Wolfenstein: The New Order, Bethesda revealed the game itself is not included in the actual set which retails for around $100.
http://www.destructoid.com/wolfenstein-the-new-order-panzerhund-edition-comes-without-game-272479.phtml
http://store.bethsoft.com/brands/wolfenstein/wolfenstein-the-new-order-panzerhund-edition.html

[VSG]

Needless to say, as a PC gamer, I am extremely pissed about the Oculus VR buyout. Now I can only hope Valve goes through with their own headset.

[Kalyx triaD]

Can anybody articulate exactly what the fears are about the buyout?

[Blitz]

Everything every big corporation does ever=teh suck

[VSG]

Listen to Zuckerberg himself about his plans for Oculus: https://www.dropbox.com/s/42w8r5n37yqjntd/Facebook%20Oculus%20call.mp3

[Kalyx triaD]

Fucking dropbox, dude?

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) Assassin's Creed: Comet is currently rumored to be the second AC game to be released later this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The game is rumored to be a direct sequel to Black Flags, takes place in New York in the year 1758, and involves a new assassin called Shay.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/27/rumor-ac-iv-black-flag-sequel-in-development-for-xbox-360-ps3.aspx
http://www.destructoid.com/assassin-s-creed-comet-has-you-playing-as-a-templar-272536.phtml

2) EA announces a new program for Origin called "On The House" which will periodically offer a free game as a gift to all Origin users and Dead Space as the first game offered starting today.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/03/27/dead-space-is-free-on-pc-right-now.aspx

3) The Last of Us currently rumored to be getting ported to the PS4 along with a rumored summer 2014 release date and the Left Behind DLC pack to be included with the game.
http://www.destructoid.com/the-last-of-us-reportedly-shambling-onto-ps4-272535.phtml

4) The game director of Uncharted 4, Justin Richmond, announces he has recently left Naughty Dog to join League of Legends developer Riot Games.
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/uncharted-4-game-director-departs-naughty-dog/

[VSG]

Fucking dropbox, dude?

Not my link, bro.

[alvarado52]

They need to make that Predator DLC a game mode in Ghosts, otherwise fuck off.

[Fignuts]

Just play Titanfall.

Crazy agility, can turn invisible, hang on walls, shoot a powerful one shot laser, see heat sources

You're pretty much a Predator the whole time dude.

[ClockShot]

Square Enix went and trademarked "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided".

Keep your fingers crossed this is a follow up to Human Revolution.

[alvarado52]

Just play Titanfall.

Crazy agility, can turn invisible, hang on walls, shoot a powerful one shot laser, see heat sources

You're pretty much a Predator the whole time dude.

Dont get me wrong, I love Titanfall, and theres never a dull moment, but with a CoD Predator mode, it would feel much more about survival and "hunter vs. hunted", yknow?

[Emperor Smeat]

Today's News:
1) The Official Xbox Magazine reveals Dragon Age: Inquisition will contain around 40 different endings and 5 explorable regions with two of them from past Dragon Age games
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/report-dragon-age-inquisition-contains-40-possible-endings-spans-5-full-regions/

3) Another person from Valve's VR project has left the company to join Oculus VR with this time being Valve's lead VR expert, Michael Abrash. Abrash revealed his new role at Oculus VR will be as their chief scientist.
http://www.destructoid.com/michael-abrash-leaves-valve-for-oculus-vr-272597.phtml

[VSG]

:'(:'( :foc:

[ClockShot]

40 endings?!

What the bastards at Bioware stick a trophy/achievement in the game making ya get all of them to unlock it.

[Fignuts]

I bet a lot of them will be really small changes, like "in this ending, Morrigan's outfit is blue".

[Fignuts]

Also,

FUCK YEAH MOTHER FUCKERS GOAT SIMULATOR OUT DAY FUCKING BUY IT 10 DOLLARS BUY IT FUCKER BUY IT FUCKING GOATS MAN BUY IT